Couple hooked on re-opening Jolly Anglers

It's three cheers to Keith and Susan Bates – they have applied to re-open Newtown local The Jolly Anglers.

The duo have stuck a notice to the door of the Kennetside pub announcing they hope to open it up again as a boozer, six months after it suddenly closed down.

The Bates’s submitted the application to Reading Borough Council’s licensing department on Monday, November 30.

Early suggestions are – if the application gets the green light – the pub could be open again by February.

In June then-landlord John Westendorp was shocked after Enterprise Inns announced it was shutting the pub without so much as a day’s notice.

The news was received badly by the pub’s regulars and a campaign group was launched.

Politicians, including Reading East MP Rob Wilson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary hopeful Gareth Epps, Labour candidate Anneliese Dodds and Green Party member Rob White, called for the pub to open again.

Mr White, who lives near the pub, announced a new bid had been made to re-open it on the campaign group’s Facebook page Reopen the Jolly Anglers.

He said he believed Enterprise Inns had lifted a restrictive covenant on the pub banning it from re-opening as a boozer.

Mr White continued: “Following on from pressure from us and negotiations, the new owners have informed us Enterprise Inns have removed the covenant from the deeds of the property.

“This means that the building can now be reopened as a pub without fear of legal action for breaching the covenant.

“The most recent development – as anyone who has walked passed the pub will have seen – is the new owners have applied for a new premises licence.

“The campaign will be writing a letter in support of this application.

“If this is granted the only thing stopping the pub from reopening is having a person or brewery to run it.

“And as we have seen in the papers recently there is definitely interest out there in taking this on.

“So with a bit of luck and a fair wind The Jolly Anglers may be open by February.

“Well done to everyone for all of your hard work so far. We will keep you posted of future developments and of when action is needed.”

The Bates’s have applied for the pub to be open daily from 10am until midnight and on special occasions until 2am – sometimes with live music.

Enterprise Inns was contacted by the Reading Post but declined to comment on the matter.